


Not a kiss nor look be lost.

by Lacerta26



Category: Downton Abbey
Genre: Developing Relationship, Dialogue Heavy, Flirting, M/M, Silly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:48:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25884595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lacerta26/pseuds/Lacerta26
Summary: Downstairs at Downton Richard feels like everyone is trying to tell him something...
Relationships: Thomas Barrow/Richard Ellis
Comments: 22
Kudos: 174





	Not a kiss nor look be lost.

**Author's Note:**

> A little slice of silliness that I wrote to procrastinate writing part two of castles in the air.
> 
> Title from Lullaby by W.H Auden - a title which makes this seem like it will be 100% more serious than it is. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!

It’s Richard’s fault for loitering but he’s got nothing else to do for the rest of the afternoon, until he and Mr Barrow can escape to York, and from then on it’s Mr Miller’s turn at the helm so he’s just kicking his heels before he heads back to London. Still, wandering about below stairs he doesn’t expect to physically crash right into Lord Grantham marching down the corridor. 

‘Apologies, your Lordship.’

‘No matter, no matter,’ Lord Gratham seems distracted, ‘you haven’t seen the dog anywhere have you...what is it...?’

‘Ellis, Milord. And no I haven't seen the dog.’

‘I can’t think where she’s got to.’

Richard just stands there, waiting to be dismissed, before Lord Gratham turns back to him as if he’d forgotten he was there. 

‘And we’re looking after you, are we? You have everything you need?’

‘Yes, Milord. Mr Barrow has been very helpful. We’re heading into York later, he and I,’ he pauses, he isn’t sure if Mr Barrow has permission and he doesn’t want to get the man in trouble, ‘if he can be spared.’

‘Oh, I should think so. After all we have Carson back for the duration,’ Lord Grantham fixes him with a strange look, considering and penetrating. 

Richard isn’t used to being _looked_ at by the upper classes. The point is that servants should be ignored, unless needed, and even then they look through you not at you but he’s learned over his short time here that Downton Abbey is not like most great houses, and her inhabitants, servants and aristocrats alike, are not like those found all over the country either. 

Lord Gratham nods, once, looking for all the world like he wants to give Richard a friendly slap on the shoulder, if that weren’t such an unbelievable breach of etiquette, ‘you could do a lot worse than Mr Barrow, you know.’ 

_What?_ Surely he doesn’t mean...what Richard _wants_ him to mean. 

Richard just gapes at him in a manner quite unbecoming for a servant of the Royal Household. 

‘Well, if you see the dog, send her to me.’

‘Of course, milord,’ says Richard utterly dazed by the turns this conversation has taken. 

‘Good man,’ Lord Grantham disappears along the corridor, seemingly quite unaware of the confusion he’s wrought on Richard’s constitution. 

*

‘Are you ok, Mr Ellis?’ Mrs Patmore looks up from her desk to the doorway where Richard has stopped on his aimless meander away from the corridor and Lord Grantham’s cryptic remarks.

Daisy, the assistant cook, stops chopping vegetables to frown at him. 

‘Daisy! Stop looking so gormless and make Mr Ellis a cup of tea!’

‘Yes, Mrs Patmore,’ Daisy intones dutifully, but she rolls her eyes and grins at Richard where Mrs Patmore can’t see. 

‘I just had the strangest conversation with Lord Grantham about Mr Barrow,’ Richard says, without thinking. He shouldn’t be gossiping, he’s a guest here and conversations that might occur between upstairs members of the household within his earshot shouldn’t be discussed elsewhere, let alone things said to him directly, but it was just so _inexplicable._

Mrs Patmore and Daisy share a look that is unfathomable to outsiders but obviously carries a world of meaning between them. 

‘His Lordship was down ‘ere?’ says Daisy, incredulous. 

‘He was looking for his dog.’

‘Ah, well, Teo’s always getting herself in trouble,’ says Mrs Patmore sagely. 

‘What was he sayin’ about Thomas? Mr Barrow, that is, I mean.’

Richard tucks away the knowledge of Mr Barrow’s Christian name for later. _Thomas._ It suits him well. 

‘Daisy, don’t gossip!’

‘He said...’ 

What did he say that Richard can repeat? Maybe it was innocent, a comment on Mr Barrow’s skill as a butler and no more, but every interpretation seems to take on new meaning. What does Lord Grantham know about his butler that the staff don’t, what could he see in Richard that warranted saying it?

‘...he just said that Mr Barrow was a good butler.’

‘What’s so strange about that?’ says Daisy, incredulous, as she sets a teacup in front of him.

‘Nothing, nothing. Just that he was saying it to me, is all.’ 

‘Lord Gratham’s good like that, takes an interest,’ Mrs Patmore’s eyes go watery and Daisy pats her hand. 

‘He is good, though, isn’t he? Mr Barrow,’ Daisy muses as she goes back to her vegetables, ‘not that Mr Carson was bad but they’re different. Thomas is more relaxed. Most of the time.’

‘I’m not saying anything,’ Mrs Patmore has gone back to her books but she looks up to fix Richard with a significant look, ‘you take care of Mr Barrow, later, make sure he has a nice time.’ 

‘Of course I will,’ he picks up his cup on his way out, ‘thank you, for the tea.’

*

Mr and Mrs Bates are in the Servants Hall with their son. Another way Downton is different from every other house Richard’s been to; children downstairs and both his parents still working. 

‘Good afternoon, Mr Ellis. Are you looking for Mr Barrow?’ says Mr Bates.

‘No, should I be?’ says Richard, confused. He’s used to turning up at a house, unwanted or resented, and not staying long enough to get to know anyone but he feels wrong footed at every turn here and also like they’re all trying to let him in on a secret, if only he can find the magic word. 

‘Leave him alone,’ Mrs Bates looks impenetrably at her husband, rocking the toddler on her knee, ‘how are you finding Downton compared to other houses on this tour, Mr Ellis?’

‘Oh, Downton is by far my favourite,’ he says with a roguish smile, as he sits down, always the quickest route to winning over the ladies in any house, even with their husbands in the room. 

‘Any particular reason for that?’ says Mr Bates, with a grin of his own, one that Richard can’t translate. 

*

With Mr Wilson and his footmen securely dispatched on the strength of one erroneous telephone call Richard finally finds himself safely alone with Thomas, _Mr Barrow,_ and he has so many questions.

None that he can voice, of course, and with his eyes on the road he can only spare a few glances at the passenger seat. 

‘How long have you worked at Downton?’

Mr Barrow huffs a laugh, ‘near on 20 years.’

‘So you must know everyone you work with well.’

‘I don’t know about that. I’m starting to, I think.’

‘They certainly care about you.’ 

In his peripheral vision Richard can see Mr Barrow shake his head, disbelieving.

‘I’m under strict instructions to make sure you have a nice time.’ 

‘I think I’ll be the judge of that,’ says Mr Barrow with such unabashed superiority Richard laughs out loud and looks over to see Mr Barrow grinning, teasing. 

‘Be my guest.’

*

‘Did you have a good time in York?’ Lady Grantham’s maid asks over breakfast - Miss Baxter Thomas said her name was.

Richard tries not to glance over to see what Thomas’s face is doing, ‘yes, thank you.’

‘What did you get up to?’ she’s looking at him with such earnest interest he can be sure it’s not a leading question.

‘This and that. I saw my family. Mr Barrow and I went for a drink,’ it’s not quite the truth but it’s near enough what he wanted to happen, had hoped for, and despite the unpleasantness at the hands of York’s constabulary the night ended well enough, in his estimation. 

‘You’re in Yorkshire quite often then, Mr Ellis? says Mrs Bates from across the table, ‘to see your family?’

‘As often as I can be spared, not as much as I’d like,’ he does look at Thomas then and he’s not sure how successful he is at hiding the ridiculous smile that he’s been fighting since last night. 

Daisy bringing in another pot of tea beams at him, ‘you can come visit us then? If you’ve got time when next you’re up. Then you can see Mr Barrow again.’

‘Daisy, I think Mrs Patmore is calling you,’ Mrs Hughes intones with utmost sincerity. 

‘I don’t think…’ Daisy frowns, Thomas is blushing bright red. It looks good on him. 

_‘Daisy,’_ says Mrs Hughes, more firmly, and Daisy looks stricken. 

Mr Carson at the head of the table seems to have developed a sudden fascination with his own fingernails. The contingent from the Royal Household are scowling and doing their best to ignore everyone else in the room. 

‘Right away Mrs Hughes,’ Daisy scurries out but Richard can still feel eyes on him, expectant. 

‘Time to be getting on I think,’ says Thomas, standing, half the table stands with him while the other half carries on as if nothing has happened and in the ensuing confusion Richard slips after him. 

*

‘So, you’re off to London?’

‘They’ll drop me at the station.’

‘Well, I hope we can keep in touch. I feel I’ve finally found a friend,’ no one here ever says what Richard’s expecting them to.

‘Is that what you’ve found, Mr Barrow? A friend? Because I think everyone else in this house, from Lord Grantham to Daisy, was hoping you’d found something more.’

‘You spoke to Lord Gra-,’ Richard is powerless to do anything but kiss the incredulous look off Thomas’s face. 

Thomas kisses him back, gently at first and then with more fervor but they’re at the mercy of the open door and must break apart sooner than either of them would like to. 

‘I want you to have this. It’s not much, but I’ve had it for years,’ on impulse Richard takes the watch chain he always carries from his pocket, ‘it’ll remind you of me. That’s the point isn’t it, so you can think of me ‘til we meet again.’

It’s far too intimate a gesture, like sweethearts swapping tokens, given how short a time they’ve known each other but he can hardly ask Thomas for a lock of his hair and he wants something concrete to leave on, a promise of more to come. He feels like he has the blessing of the whole house, now all he needs is Thomas’s.

Thomas takes the chain, reverent, ‘thank you,’ and they smile at each other like they’ve been trying not to all morning. 

Naturally, Mr Carson interrupts the moment, shouting from the passage, ‘Mr Ellis, you must come!’

They grin ruefully and Richard turns to go, a hand to Thomas’s lapel, ‘I’ve been told I could do a lot worse than you, Mr Barrow, but I have a feeling there’s no one better.’

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on [tumblr!](https://lacerta26.tumblr.com)


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